Stay For The Night
by Grace Keely
Summary: One shot. 4x11 — Liam was having trouble trying to cope up to his trauma with the berserkers. That night, he couldn't sleep; he couldn't toss nor turn for he would see the shadow that haunted him for days. When things did go bump in the night, he never expected the things that happened to him after.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf and all its production franchise. All I own is the OC and nothing else.**

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><p><strong>AN: A bit of imagination playing around when I watched this scene in Teen Wolf where Liam was being haunted by images of the berserkers. He was alone, traumatized, scared out of his little mind and no one was there to talk to him. But what if that night, he wasn't truly alone? What if someone was there the night he woke up from his nightmare?**

**Read more to find out (:**

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><p>A sound of a triple threat gun-brawl lashed out in the speakers.<p>

_Fire. Hide. Duck. Roll. Fire, fire. Duck. Roll. Duck. Fire._

"Whoah, that was waaay fast." A soft, light voice said.

She tapped on the controller as rapidly as she could, evading the hail of bullets coming her way while trying to fight back, but his amazing skill made him duck every shot coming his way and then countering back aggressively; her character's life bar decreasing rapidly each bullet.

Mason, the other player, tried to save the day by provoking the wild pro with his machine gun, letting his life bar deplete in just a little amount.

"Oh, so now it turns out into a handicap match?" The seemingly pro boy said.

Quickly, he mashed the buttons and his character pivoted to Mason's. He did these weird combinations of buttons and Mason was instantly knocked out from the game.

"Hot damn." He tossed his controller in defeat.

Then it was him and her now. His health bar only depleted by a quarter and hers was hanging by a thin line. _This should be easy, _he thought. She was one hit left and sweet, almost effortless victory would be his.

"Oh frag." Her character, as funny and as ironic it may be, ran for her life. "frag, frag, frag. Nooo!"

But Liam thought better. He immediately ran towards her direction, calculating and predicting where she would run and hide. No sooner, his crosshair was already aimed point blank to her character's head.

She noticed it and did the oldest but dirtiest trick in the book. She made a quick jab to his hips, trying to distract him somehow. But really, her assaults didn't even faze him, it even tickled.

The distraction had somehow worked though. She got lucky to evade the scope of his shot and had managed to buy time for herself so she could gain distance. Though, to be honest, the point of the game was to shoot your enemy, not evading him.

"C'mon, get back here!"

"Heck no!"

"Oh, you will." He smirked.

Having his fun, he decided to end it once and for all.

He closed in distance. Her character was trapped behind walls, only her realizing it when she was unable to run in anymore directions. He was immediately behind her. He mashed the controller quickly and he poured him a massacre of bullets through her CGI body. Oh the sadistic irony of murdering women in alleyways~

"What the frap, Liam. How'd you do that so fast?" She huffed in frustration. Although, he actually found it cute when her cheeks puff out with a hint of red.

Shrugging, he only said. "Practice?"

"Or maybe you suddenly gained super-human reflexes?"

He just shrugged again.

Mason gazed at him a second longer, but then immediately dismissed the topic. "And we should be studying." He propped himself up from the carpet and slung his backpack. She got up too and reached for her jacket.

"Hey wait. Where you guys going?" Liam suddenly blurted out. She suddenly stopped what she was doing and her eyes followed the two of them.

"Home?" Mason replied with more of a question than an answer. "We got history test tomorrow, remember?"

"C'mon, one more game."

"Yeah, you said that four games ago." The two were about to head towards the door but Liam then again convinced them to stay.

"Study here. You guys could stay over."

There was something about his eyes that made her pause. It's like he was practically begging for it. Begging for some company. He looked at Mason and he didn't notice it though. She wanted to. She wanted to stay. But it was already eleven o' clock. Her parents were already nagging her to come home already.

"Liam…" She softly spoke. "It's getting late."

He only shook his head. "One more game. Just one."

"You okay, man?" Mason didn't follow through so he asked.

"You know what," He stilled, closed his eyes and took a breath. "Y-you're right. You guys should go." He frowned and mumbled. "I should probably study too."

Then it struck her. The pained look in his face. It felt like he was afraid of something, like he was living out of his own nightmare. She didn't know what scared him, but she knew he didn't want to be alone.

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><p>Liam plopped himself to his bed. He was all but tired today. School, homeworks, gaming night… It's what normal people would do in a weekday like this, right? Even if he was a werewolf, things mundane such as this still took a toll in him. And what he needed was a good night's rest.<p>

He was about to turn off his lamp but then he paused midway. His mind suddenly became unsettled. He caught the visions of the berserker circling through his mind. It's been going around lately; he couldn't even shake it off his head. It's like, the more he tried to avoid it, the more he became paranoid. And then it got worse. The visions grew more and more realistic. Everywhere he goes, the image of a hulking mass with a bone mask haunted him. He didn't understand it. It made him feel weak about himself. He was supposed to be strong, right? All werewolves were. But in that span of moment, he felt utterly helpless to himself, and to his friends.

That's when he decided to stay away from it all.

And also the time he pushed everyone, including Mason and her, away.

He admits, the two of them were his best friends. Even since Devenport High. He met Mason a summer during grade school and she and him were practically sandbox buddies. It's no use to see the flaw in their chemistry of the three. They were inseparable. They even switched schools together when they learned about Liam's anger problems. But it was all taken away when he himself started acting… really _different_.

Shrugging his thoughts off, he turned off the lights, but the gloomy darkness left his mind more in unease. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, but the steady fall of rain made him reminiscent about that night at the hospital.

Then after a few creeping minutes, he heard the _thumping_. And then a groan of voice. Then steps, each boomed in his ears and it felt like the world around him was vibrating and the furniture seemed to shake. His fear gripped him instantly and he didn't know what to do. Whispers and growling noises started to flow in his head and his breathing became rampant. His sweat poured out from his forehead even though he felt the air tight cold. A shadow loomed over behind him; his heartbeat now erratic.

Taking courage, he glanced at his surroundings.

The door, the table and his computer. The printer. Posters of random things he liked. The curtains. And… _Oh my God_…

The _shadow._

He rolled to the other side and shut his eyes. The thumping became louder and louder .

"You're not there… You're not there…" He chanted, as if a prayer to rid himself of demons haunting him in the night.

But it wasn't working. The intruder loomed on top of him. He could smell his breath stale and acrid, heard his low growl reverberating in his throat. Liam's panting became heavier and almost literally choked the life out of him.

Adrenaline poured through his veins when he opened his eyes and opened the lights.

And the most unexpecting thing happened.

A soft voice yelped in shock and there was a loud _thud _vibrating across his room.

"Ow, ow ow. Ouch."

He noticed that voice. That playful, childish tone that sounded like a 9-year old.

"Claire?"

He fumbled under his covers and peered down the floor near an open window. He saw her. And he saw her dripping wet from the rainfall. The last thing he was expecting still brought a smile of relief on his face.

"Claire, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked almost trying to be incredulous without being thankful.

He reached to help her get up but she waved a hand.

"Back still hurting, ouch." She wheezed.

His mind still dazed, he didn't know how to react to this. Of all the things he would wake up to, he would never ever expect Claire, of all people, to come up the window and enter his bedroom. Of course he knew Claire was the one who'd do reckless and accident-prone things, but never _this _reckless.

But a twinge in his stomach felt shy and awkward that she'd do something this… weird… thing for him.

"Claire, wha—" He thought of something to say. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at home already?"

Rubbing her back from the ache, she slowly stretched herself properly before she could answer. "Thought you needed some company." She gave him a cheery smile.

That smile of hers captivated him every time. Not in a rude way, but more of a nice feeling that rumbled metaphorically in his stomach.

"I'm way too predictable for you, aren't I?" He smiled back. He was glad she came. He didn't care if it was for awhile or the whole night away. This is just what he needed.

"Yeah well, it'll be a little more awkward if Mason's the one jumping in your window."

He laughed, though the thought of it was true.

"So, uh, I kinda heard you were having a nightmare."

He widened his eyes and ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah. I'm uh, sorry for that. Couldn't sleep with the rain and all."

"Since when were you afraid of the rain?" She furrowed her brows. "But about that, do you have… something dry I could borrow?" She was starting to shiver as the cold gradually coming up to her.

"Right. You could borrow one of my jackets over there." He pointed at the stand.

"Okay…" She paused. "Um.."

"Yeah, on it." He turned away, even closed the lights. But damn his werewolf eyes could see everything even in the dark.

He flushed when he saw her removing her jacket and clothes, revealing her slender back, and a pink strap covering a small portion of her upper back. Her skin was glistening from the rain. The only thing surprising was, she only put on his gray hooded red sleeved jacket and didn't have nothing underneath save for her... uh, _upper undergarments._ Another thing fitting was his jacket reached just below her upper thighs, rolling and covering up her shorts as if she'd been wearing nothing underneath.

He stopped staring and looked away, flushing away from those thoughts. Thankfully, it took a little while longer before she plopped beside him and tapped his shoulder.

He opened the lights and saw her wringing her hair on one side. She gave him an once-over and smiled again.

"So, the nightmares?" She opened the conversation instantly.

"I've been having them a lot lately."

"Oh, since when?"

"Since…" The thought made him remind of what happened again that time at the hospital. How the berserker took easy care of him and left him battered and bruised after the wake of his destruction. "I'm sorry, it's hard to talk about it."

"Liam…" She looked at him and put a hand behind his sagged shoulders. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I promise I'm only going to listen."

He looked at her and back to the floor again. "I'm just scared."

What he said surprised her. She straightened her position and Indian sat on his bed. "Scared about what?"

"Someone… Some _thing_. Something that makes me feel helpless and weak. It's been bugging me for awhile now."

"Well, I don't know what _it _is but," She crossed her arms. "You know someday, we all have got to face our fears."

He raised one brow.

She shrugged. "Hey, do you remember that time I was deathly terrified of this big ugly bully when we were in elementary?"

"Suzie from third grade?" He smirked.

"Suzie from third grade." She chuckled heartily. "Anyways, I remembered she would always tousle my hair or push me around whenever I was in her way. I got scared of her because I didn't know why she was so angry at me or why I was the only one getting picked at. It traumatized me because I hadn't done anything to her but she was like that to me."

"All until one day, I took a stand. I decided to face my fears and confront Big Suzie during lunch." She paused and then she laughed at the thought. "I was ready to talk to her, but in the middle of it all I suddenly tripped over nothing and I went face first into a mud pile."

Liam laughed at the story. He remembered it way back when. How she went to his house with all her face plastered with mud. Her eyes shaded red from all the tears and her nose dripping with water.

"Yeah I got embarrassed, humiliated even. But in hindsight, all I knew in the back of my mind, that I faced my fear and charged right through her; facing her like I never faced anyone before."

"I get what your story's going and all. But what if I'm facing something much more bigger; bigger than you and me combined?" His yearning had turned to a sad frown.

She hummed. "Well, maybe all you need is a little help. A little push."

He looked at her blankly.

"Liam, I know you're going through something right now and you think by hiding it from us will keep us in harm's way." Again, she raised a hand and rubbed his shoulders. "Whatever it is, know that if you need any help, all you've got to do is ask." She then gave her a small smile.

He returned the favor. "Thanks, Claire. You're a big help." Now, he wondered. He thought of something foolish. Something a little bit selfish on his side. He was ashamed by even thinking about it, but like she said, all he needed was to ask.

"Hey, Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay for the night?" But he suddenly waved his hand dismissively. "I mean, it's pouring hard and all and I can't let you go out there by yourself at this hour. Maybe you could sleep in the sofa and me in my bed— no, maybe I should take the sofa and you take—"

"It's fine, Liam." She chortled. "The sofa right now sounds nice."

"If you're sure…"

"Yeah, it is."

Then off they went to their positions. Liam climbed on his bed and buried himself under the covers, Claire wrapping herself with a nice warm blanket. Her small stature fitted perfectly on the shape of the sofa and it didn't make her uncomfortable.

Taking one last look at his room, he saw that there were no more shadows creeping behind the furniture. Rain was pouring slowly now and it wouldn't take a long time 'till it goes to a complete halt. His mind was completely rid of the paranoia he'd been haunted with. At least, for tonight.

All thanks to her.

Claire who was sleeping soundly, legs curled up tight into a ball. Her hair now damp and her feet bare. Her lips flitted into a smile and her closed eyes fluttered about telling her of her own dreams.

The last thing he sensed that night was the smell of his cotton jacket mixed up together with her scent of fresh pine and wood rose.

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><p><strong>AN: That's all for the story right now!**

**Please don't forget to leave a review if you're feeling up for it. Won't hurt if you try ;D**


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